An artist's depiction of a Gnoblar Scum.
Gnoblar Scums are the most foul-smelling and miserable rump of Gnoblar-kind, making up the majority of the population in most Ogre camps.
Overview[]
Those too weak, lazy, stupid or injured to make a name for themselves or follow an Ogre master eke out a living as best they can. Gnoblars have their own base economy supporting a confusing number of undesirable, dangerous and often seemingly pointless jobs. Bonestewer, Beetlegrubber, Stick Collector, Weasel Baiter and Manure Taster are just some of the professions open to an aspiring young Gnoblar.[1a]
These Scum carry out most of the menial tasks of the Ogre camp while being bullied by those of higher status. For many of the smaller Scum, the only way out of their low social status is to wheedle their way into one of the clans serving the Ogres or, for the most ambitious, to become the pet Gnoblar of an Ogre. Competition is fierce, and the dreams of most Scum end in a neighbour's cookpot or under the foot of a careless Ogre. The practice of Not Wasting Stuff (or cannibalism for those fond of long words) is rife amongst the Scum, and when times are hard the weak and the injured have more to worry about than dying from cold or hunger.[1a]
In most societies, the rich can buy protection, but wealth offers little real comfort to the Scum. Being rich enough to hire guards will not help if they decide it's easier money to steal your stuff and sell you to the Ogre cookpots. After all, Gnoblars may be stupid, but that kind of thinking doesn't come hard even to the slowest of them. As a result all Scum claim to be pathetically poor and hide or bury their shiny things (anything shiny seems to fascinate them and is valued highest of all), only bringing such trinkets out to paw and gloat over when they think no one is around to see them.[1a]